Sacramento man convicted in connection with Clearlake shooting

LAKEPORT -- A Sacramento man faces the potential of life in prison after being convicted Thursday of charges related to a shooting in Clearlake more than a year ago.

A Lake County jury found Jerry Lee King Jr., 20, guilty of three felonies related to the May 7, 2011 incident and three misdemeanors for brandishing a gun at another location in the city hours later.

Evidence showed King was in a vehicle when he fired shots at Clearlake resident Marvin Turl, senior deputy district attorney John DeChaine said. The incident began as an argument but escalated when King discharged a handgun.

King told investigators after his arrest that he fired his weapon to scare the people outside the vehicle, DeChaine said.

The jury acquitted King of attempted murder, which required specific intent, but convicted him of the rest of the charges -- all gun-related.

The guilty counts included one for discharging a firearm from inside a car at someone who was outside the vehicle. Associated with that felony was a special allegation of using a gun to cause great bodily injury, which carries 25 years to life, DeChaine said.

The defense argued the shooting was self-defense, as King attempted to protect himself and others in the vehicle because someone on the street had a knife, the prosecutor added.

An email to King's attorney, Barry Melton, was not returned Friday afternoon.

The trial took place during the course of six weeks, counting jury selection and motion hearings. Jurors returned their verdict late Thursday after deliberating for two days.

King was also convicted of assault with a firearm and negligent discharge of a gun in a manner that could result in injury or death.

For reportedly pulling the gun at an apartment complex hours after the shooting, jurors found King guilty of carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, unlawfully carrying a loaded weapon in a vehicle and brandishing a firearm.

DeChaine credited Clearlake Police and Det. Ryan Peterson for developing evidence to connect the two incidents and show King was the shooter. "It was a difficult investigation in that no one from the scene of the shooting was able to positively identify the defendant," the prosecutor added.

King, who remains in custody at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility, is set to be sentenced Jan. 15.

Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636, ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com. Follow him on Twitter, @JeremyDWalsh.